Neighborhood Block Watch

What is Neighborhood Block Watch?

Neighborhood Block Watch is simply a strategy that organizes groups of neighborhood residents to watch out for criminal and suspicious behavior and reports it to local law enforcement to help prevent crime and promote cooperation among residents and police. Every day, neighborhoods across the United States confront any number of property and violent crimes and threats of crime. This strategy attempts to provide local law enforcement with additional eyes and ears to watch out for all types of criminal activity and promote neighborhood security. Community crime watches can address all types of crime, but their primary focus is typically residential burglary and other crimes around the home, such as larceny and vandalism. Their presence can also help deter criminals who would attempt to conduct drug- or gang-related activities in the neighborhood.

Key Components

The first step is to identify key leaders or persons most concerned about crime in the neighborhood and organize a meeting of these individuals to discuss safety. The police can be invited to a neighborhood meeting to discuss community safety, and volunteers can be solicited to serve as block watch leaders. The neighborhood may be divided by blocks and block leaders assigned to serve as points of contact. A communication network can be organized to pass along information about crime and security to residents. In most cities the police provide training on recognizing and reporting suspicious activity and on home and neighborhood security. The watch may expand to foot or car patrols. The watch can provide a variety of safety and security information to residents. In the City of Vallejo, because of budget cuts city-wide, our police department can no longer provide these trainings. Fighting Back Partnership has made a commitment to the residents of our community to continue to provide trainings and resource assistance in the area of community safety and residential security.

With funding from a Federal Weed and Seed grant, Fighting Back staff will assist any neighborhood interested, in the city of Vallejo, in forming block watches. There will be special preference, obviously, given to neighborhoods within the Weed and Seed Target area shown on the map in the Weed and Seed program page.

Download Neighborhood Watch Manual

Additional information about Neighborhood Block Watch, National Night Out and Crime Analysis can be found at the following links:
National Sheriffs' Association--- http://www.sheriffs.org/
Neighborhood Watch Products---http://www.nnwi.org/
National Night Out---- http://www.nationalnightout.org/nno/
Crime Reports---- http://www.crimereports.com/map?search=Vallejo,+ca